Yesterday we opened up about how diabetes can bring us down. Today let’s share what gets us through a hard day. Or more specifically, a hard diabetes day. Is there something positive you tell yourself? Are there mantras that you fall back on to get you through? Is there something specific you do when your mood needs a boost? Maybe we've done that and we can help others do it too? (Thanks to Meri of Our Diabetic Life for suggesting this topic.)
I didn't write much yesterday. I could have. I have lot's that can bring me down in relation to diabetes, but when I start thinking about it all-my husband with type 2 and his issues, my son with type 1 and all that entails, the increase in both these types of diagnosis, the children and babies with their calloused fingertips- well, I get overwhelmed. I'm a bit of an empath. I've always been able to "put myself in their shoes". And sometimes that can be too much. So I didn't delve yesterday. I didn't want it to bring me down. I only read a handful of the other blogs on that topic too for the same reason. Forgive me, it's a raw spot.
This is sugar bear and hubby in 2009 after hubby's double knee replacements.
But Mantras and more, yeah, that I can do. A big one for us with Sugar Bear is "I/you/we got this" followed up with "we have too". I think they are pretty self explanatory. It's the Little Engine that Could and "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" philosophies. Or even "just keep truckin'". Hubby was a semi truck driver for awhile before he had double knee replacements at the young age of 39. We've been through lots and always came out the other side (knock on wood-okay maybe a little superstition thrown in for good measure with mantras). I like to think there really is a silver lining to every cloud and a rainbow with the storms.
Photoshopped the "not" after diagnosis
So besides mantras, which we have in abundance, what else do I have? Humor. Laughter. Making light of just about any situation. Diabetes included. My husband is great at this. So are both the boys. Sugar Bear is leading the way. Sometimes the jokes or pranks go too far, but they always give awareness and grounding. I have a family of pranksters and jokesters. Even the animals help out. Our one kitty, Ricky, likes to pull antics that have us laughing so hard we're crying. And the animals respond best to Sugar Bear. He's like a mini Dr. Dolittle. Here's a pic of Sugar Bear minutes after he cam home from the hospital January 1st, 2014 after diagnosis. What you don't see is Ricky at his feet. 
And music. Music soothes, touches, and fits just about any mood or situation for me. I can always find a song that I think fits the situation. Now we've added "diabetes" songs. For example, Billy Joel's Big Shot has been running in my head recently as we've had to give larger and larger shots of insulin. He's out of the honeymoon stage and these bigger shots are a bit unnerving for us. So I'm always finding songs and parodies of songs that make this all a bit more bearable. Right now Sugar Bear is singing in the other room. For us life is a musical but it's definitely not your typical one. Our musical tastes go from classical to heavy metal to everything inbetween. Justin Bieber is not on that list!
And movies. Movies are big in our household. My husband and I met in a movie theater and got married in the same. Our first dates were to concerts and movies. We take the boys to the drive in to do family movies out and we rent movies and pile into the family bed to watch movies in. Movies take us to a different world. They help us leave ours for a short bit. They are a way for us to have a bit of a breather. A break.
And finally, books. But really that is just me. Like movies they can take me out of my head but they
also help me grapple with the issues at hand. Books, for me, are life savers. I need to read and reading helps.
Life is what keeps my family going. The enjoyment of life is why we do it.
I love everything about this post! First, the music: I'm totally on the same page, and that was actually the of my Mantras and More post for Thursday. And then there's the kitty... our Shadow Cat used to do the same, often trying to steal my meter and (I swear) hiding my meter case once. I even had some fun with putting some infusion set tubing on her head once, and it looked like a halo -- no, she wasn't thrilled with this, but it was a lot of fun for me and made a great photo! Then there's the humor and laughter... not sure where I'd be without it. Learned from the DOC a long time ago that you have to keep a sense of humor about all of this or you'll go insane. That's something I've really embraced over the past number of years and it's so important. Anyhow, totally enjoyed reading this post and thank you so much for sharing it!
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